Social Emotional Learning (SEL) took center stage during and shortly after the pandemic because students, staff, families, and the community faced mental, emotional, and, in some cases, physical challenges. Recovering from the harshness of the pandemic proved difficult for many, prompting school leaders, educators, and mental health specialists to concentrate on strategies to enhance SEL at every grade level. As fatigue set in and frustration grew, SEL became a politicized term. Some viewed it as a catch-all for non-academic issues and found it deeply offensive. However, there was a misunderstanding.

At its core, SEL is the AFFECT of schooling: teaching and modeling self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and social management or relationship skills. The terminology became a part of the mainstream lexicon, but the practices have been around for centuries. From fables, tales, and stories, we’ve learned SEL in our homes, classrooms, places of worship, social gatherings, and extra-curricular activities. Amid the politicizing of the term, skepticism increased, and educators either abandoned or quietly integrated these strategies in the classroom.

As SEL faced scrutiny, another familiar concept—employability skills—emerged in discussions about workforce readiness. Despite the different labels, both frameworks emphasize the same core competencies needed for success in school and beyond. While this terminology is not new, it has taken on a new meaning. Our nation has confronted job shortages due to retirements and the booming of new industries during the Information and Technology Age.

While SEL and Employability Skills are similar, some differences must be stated. Employability Skills focus on specific skill development, such as time management, adaptability, and technical skills. SEL emphasizes emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills.

Including both skills in the teaching, learning, and leading process is essential so that every student acquires a key set of abilities to help them thrive as adults. Here are three ways to integrate SEL and employability skills into each classroom.

1. According to the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL improves students’ academic performance by 11 percentage points. It’s not a waste of time but a valuable use of time because it creates the conditions for deeper learning. To teach SEL skills such as self-awareness and self-management, incorporate reflective journaling, exit tickets, or self-assessment tools after short—and long-term assignments.

2. Teachers can design group projects to teach social awareness and relationship skills. These projects involve students collaborating and navigating different viewpoints, fostering teamwork and empathy. To help students practice, use video clips from movies, sitcoms, or streamed shows with multiple perspectives and ask students to analyze what’s happening.

3. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report highlights problem-solving and teamwork as top skills for 2025.

Additionally, last spring, during my district’s annual Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) meeting with business advisory members, employers, and educators from our associate skills, they reinforced the need for these essential skills based on their experiences. To teach responsible teamwork, communication, and decision-making, teachers can introduce scenario-based learning or inquiry-based tasks in which students weigh options and choose the best course of action.

Whether we call them SEL or Employability Skills is simply a matter of semantics. What truly matters is that we continue to teach and reinforce these essential skills in every classroom. These abilities—self-awareness, collaboration, and responsible decision-making—are the foundation for academic and lifelong success.
As educators, we have the opportunity to integrate these skills seamlessly into daily instruction. Administrators can model how to do this during staff or department meetings and share supporting resources. Through reflection, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving, we can ensure that students leave our classrooms academically prepared and truly life-ready. Let’s commit to prioritizing these skills so every student can thrive in an ever-changing world.

Be Great,

Dwight

Students today, Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Gen Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024), face more challenges than most generations before them because of the advent of the smartphone, 24/7 accessibility, an overabundance of choice, a disruptive job market, and having to overcome a global pandemic. On the other hand, they have many opportunities to create and define their pathway to success. They have more entrepreneurial access and opportunities, most adults have embraced them delaying or forgoing a traditional college education to explore trade schools or go directly into the workforce, and they have the freedom to move from one interest to another without judgment (for the most part).

In navigating these challenges and opportunities, students must rely on a set of foundational skills. Among them, literacy remains the most crucial, mainly because literacy creates a strong foundation for everything else. The ability to read, write, think critically, and communicate effectively will continue to open doors for those with this solid foundation.

However, literacy alone is not enough. To thrive in today’s world, students need a broader skill set that enables them to navigate uncertainty and change. As you think about the skills you possess to do your job effectively, you’d have to admit that you did not have these skills as a 15-18-year-old high school student, at least, not at the current level. Am I right?

With that in mind, let’s explore three underrated but essential skills that students need to build for success in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, starting with adaptability.

Adaptability– The quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. We cling to certainty, which is why we need routines. However, we must also help students build their adaptability muscle by having them work through scenarios, sharing stories of how others have successfully adapted during change, and reminding them that it’s a part of life. In football, when the offense fumbles the ball or throws an interception, it’s called a sudden change, and both teams need to respond accordingly. The team that can respond effectively usually wins the game. Creating the conditions for students to adapt to sudden change will help them build that skill in a safe environment where they can get feedback without penalty.

Emotional Intelligence– The ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Strengthening one’s emotional intelligence is a life-long process. This is an essential skill because the higher the stress, the less likely one can control emotions/reactions. During uncertain and ambiguous situations, the ability to control and understand others’ emotions can pave the way for successful relationships and opportunities. The following are a few ways to help students strengthen their emotional intelligence:
Integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies in the classroom or meetings. For example, model centering activities allow students to think critically about their mindset, communicate with a peer, and practice active listening.

* Teach conflict resolution through scenarios, current events, history, or literature. Guide students through the process by establishing norms for conflict resolution and having students identify them through the content.

* Establish a positive school and classroom culture by creating shared norms, values, and traditions that foster an emotionally safe environment. Adults model expected behavior, so the best way to strengthen culture is to focus on adult behavior.

* Teach students how to express gratitude because it leads to more happiness, and happier people tend to have positive feelings about themselves and others, are more optimistic and relaxed, less envious, and create more positive memories.

Self-Discipline– While adaptability and emotional intelligence help students navigate change and relationships, self-discipline is the key to following through on their goals. Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s thoughts, emotions, and actions to achieve one’s goals. Assign short-term and long-term projects to help students set goals and to meet benchmarks. Setting aside time to meet with them one-on-one can provide much needed feedback on their progress, and strengthen this important skill.

The world isn’t slowing down, and the challenges students face will only keep evolving. That’s why we must ensure they develop the skills to adapt, manage emotions, and stay disciplined in pursuit of their goals. If we focus on building adaptability, emotional intelligence, and self-discipline, we’re giving them the tools to handle uncertainty, seize opportunities, and create their own success. Let’s be intentional about helping students develop these underrated but essential skills—because their future depends on it.

Be Great,

Dwight

How often have you heard or uttered the phrase, “Kids these days…”?
Yes, kids these days are different than how we grew up. They have other challenges than the ones we faced.

Most of us, as kids, had to deal with gauges and scratches on the back of our ankles from the pedals on our bike or how fast we needed to get home before the street lights came on, even though we were miles away from home. Yes, kids these days have different experiences, which can be challenging at times. We sometimes scratch our heads thinking about kids these days. However, Let us remember that many kids these days also do nice things for others.

As you watch this video below, consider the nice things you see students doing and remember they will be alright.

Be GREAT,

Dwight

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